Strap System and Method for Securing a Child Safety Seat to Wheeled Luggage

ABSTRACT

One or more adjustable-length straps are used to secure a child safety seat to wheeled luggage, to facilitate transporting a child, the child&#39;s safety seat, and luggage, all at the same time. Depending on the features available on the child safety seat, different types of straps may be utilized in different ways.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present invention claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/391,714, filed 11 Oct. 2010, whose contents are incorporated by reference in their entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to transporting a child safety seat such as a child car seat, or a child booster seat. In particular, the invention relates to strapping systems to secure the child safety seat to wheeled luggage.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The use of child safety seats for the safe restraint of infants and children in vehicles is well known. For the safety and comfort of an infant or child, and also to comply with applicable laws requiring the use of child safety seats for children of specified ages, child safety seats now are commonly removed from the family vehicle and taken along on travels. For example, a child's child safety seat may be used for the child in a rental car on the family vacation. In addition, child safety seats commonly may be used in other modes of transportation, such as airplanes, buses, boats, or trains, to provide a safer and more comfortable seat for young children.

Such use of child safety seats away from the family vehicle thus requires the transport of the child safety seats through airport terminals, bus stations, train stations, boat terminals, and the like. The typical infant or child safety seat is quite bulky, of an awkward shape, and may weigh between ten and twenty pounds. Thus the physical size, structure, and weight of the child safety seat make it difficult to carry and for most persons, require the use of both hands. This is particularly necessary if the child safety seat is carried for a substantial distance.

Various devices have been developed to assist with the transport of child safety seats, including a wide variety of bags, totes, and cases. Typically these travel bags comprise a zippered sack, with a handle and/or shoulder strap. The child safety seat may be placed in the sack and then carried from the family vehicle to baggage check, or onto the airplane, bus, etc.

Alternatively, some models of child safety seats are provided with wheels and a handle, essentially converting the child safety seat into a stroller so that it can be wheeled through an airport or other area. In addition, stroller-type attachments are made for child safety seats, again converting the child safety seat to a stroller-like apparatus that can be wheeled to its destination.

A child young enough to require the use of a child safety seat may also be too young to walk any considerable distance through an airport terminal, train station, etc. This generally requires that the child also be carried, typically in a stroller, a backpack or front carrier, or simply in the guardian's arms. In addition, travel with young children generally entails transporting various other equipment, such as diaper bags. As a result, persons transporting young children while traveling must potentially negotiate a number of large, awkward items, in addition to the child.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Among other things, the present invention is directed to child safety seat strapping systems for retaining a child safety seat to luggage, methods of retaining a child safety seat to luggage using one or more straps which cooperate with one or more features of the child safety seat, and the straps themselves.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will now be described with respect to the following figures in which:

FIG. 1 shows a first view of one embodiment of a child safety seat strap in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows an enlarged view of opposite ends of the child safety seat strap of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows the ratchet buckle provided on one end of the child safety seat strap of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 shows the toothed tongue provided on a second end of the child safety seat strap of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 shows a side view of first strapping arrangement for retaining a child safety seat to luggage employing two child safety seat straps of the sort seen in FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 shows a back view of the first strapping arrangement of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 shows a second embodiment of a child safety seat strap in accordance with the present invention, which has a keyhole-shaped retaining ring on the strap.

FIG. 8 shows a second embodiment of a child safety seat strap in accordance with the present invention, which has a circular retaining ring on the strap.

FIG. 9 shows the back side of a car seat showing the lower latch straps and the top tether.

FIG. 10 shows a back view of a strapping system in which a single strap in accordance with FIG. 7 is used to strap the car seat of FIG. 9 to luggage.

FIG. 11 shows a side view of what is shown in FIG. 10

FIG. 12 show a third embodiment of a child safety seat strap having a pair of retaining rings at opposite ends of the strap and middle retaining ring along the strap itself.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

-   -   100—Clamping Strap     -   100 a, 100 b, 100 c—Clamping strap     -   102—First end of clamping strap     -   104—Second end of clamping strap     -   106—Adjustable length portion of clamping strap     -   108—Ratchet Buckle     -   110—Toothed Tongue     -   112—Adjustment Buckle     -   114—Buckle Rivet     -   116—Buckle Harness     -   118—Tongue Rivet     -   120—Teeth of Tongue     -   122—Keyhole-shaped Retaining Ring     -   124—Circular Retaining Ring     -   130—Child Safety Seat     -   132—Passageway     -   134—Top Tether     -   134 a—Hook Member of Top Tether     -   136, 138—Latch Strap     -   136 a, 138 a—Hook Members of Latch Strap     -   140—Luggage     -   142—Luggage Body     -   144—Handle Assembly     -   146—Telescoping Handle     -   148—Back side of Luggage Body     -   150—Clamping Strap     -   152 a, 152 b—First & Second Ends of Clamping Strap     -   154—Adjustable-length portion of Clamping Strap     -   156—Adjustment Buckle     -   158 a, 158 b—First & Second Retaining Rings     -   160—Third Retaining Ring

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIGS. 1-4 show a first embodiment of a clamping strap 100 in accordance with the present invention. The clamping strap 100 comprises a first end 102 provided with a ratchet buckle 108 and a second end 104 provided with a toothed tongue 110 which is configured to cooperate with the ratchet buckle 108 for tightening the strap 100. The clamping strap 100 also has an adjustable-length portion 106 between the first and second ends 102, 104. The adjustable-length portion 106 is preferably formed from a strong fabric, though it may be formed from other materials as well. Proximate the first end 102, a buckle harness 116 connects the adjustable-length portion 106 to the ratchet buckle via a first fastener 114, such as a buckle rivet 114. Proximate the second end 104, a second fastener 118 connects the adjustable-length portion to the toothed tongue 110. As best seen in FIG. 4, the toothed tongue 110 has a plurality of parallel teeth 120 which are configured to cooperate with the ratchet buckle in a known manner.

FIGS. 5 & 6 show side and rear views of one embodiment of a clamping system between a child safety seat 132 and an item of luggage 140 which employs two clamping straps of the sort seen in FIGS. 1-4.

The child safety seat 130 includes a horizontally-extending passageway 132 formed on a back side thereof. The horizontally-extending passageway 132 is of the sort configured to pass a portion of a seat belt therethrough for securing a child safety seat in a vehicle. It is understood that the term ‘passageway’, as used herein, encompasses not only a fully enclosed hollow channel formed on the back side of the child safety seat, but also other shaped formations configured to receive or otherwise accommodate a belt, strap or other securing mechanism.

The wheeled luggage 140 includes a luggage body 142 and a handle assembly 144 which, as best seen in FIG. 6, is a telescoping handle assembly. It is understood that the wheeled luggage 140 is of a size suitable for carrying onto a commercial aircraft. It is further understood that the luggage can take on a number of shapes and functional attributes, and thus can constitute a suitcase, a backpack or one of many other kinds of luggage that may be provided with wheels to facilitate transport over a flat surface.

As seen in FIGS. 5 & 6, the child safety seat 130 is strapped the wheeled luggage 140 by means of first and second adjustable-length clamping straps 100 a, 100 b, which are in accordance with clamping strap 100 described above. The first clamping strap 100 a abuts the luggage body 142 with the adjustable-length portion 106 of the first strap 100 a passing through the horizontally extending passageway 132 and the ratchet buckle 108 and toothed tongue 110 engaging one another proximate the back side 148 of the luggage body 142 to tighten the first strap 100 a so as to clamp the wheeled luggage 140 against the back side of the child safety seat 130.

The second clamping strap 110 b abuts the telescoping handle 146 of the handle assembly 144 at location that is vertically spaced apart from where the first strap 100 a abuts luggage body 142, with the adjustable-length portion of the second strap extending at a downward angle from the handle assembly 144 and passing through the horizontally extending passageway 132 formed on the back side of the child safety seat. It is understood that the ratchet buckle 108 and the toothed tongue 110 engage one another to tighten the second strap 100 b so as to further clamp the wheeled luggage 140 against the back side of the child safety seat 130.

Thus, a method of securing a child safety seat 130 to wheeled luggage 140 having a luggage body 142 and a handle assembly 144 connected to the luggage body 142 begins with providing the first and second clamping straps 100 a, 100 b and positioning the wheeled luggage 140 in close proximity to a back side of the child safety seat 130. Thereafter, the method continues with passing through the passageway 132 a portion of the first clamping strap 100 a and then mating the toothed tongue 110 to the ratchet buckle 108 with the luggage 140 being encircled by the first clamping strap 100 a. A portion of the second clamping strap 100 b is similarly passed through the passageway 132 and the toothed tongue 110 is mated to the ratchet buckle 108 with the luggage 140 being encircled by the second clamping strap 100 b. The first clamping strap 100 a is tightened so as to clamp the wheeled luggage 140 against the back side of the child safety seat 130, as is the second clamping strap 100, the former abutting the luggage body 142 and the latter abutting the handle assembly 144.

FIGS. 7 and 8 show another embodiment of a clamping strap 100 c. Clamping strap 100 c is similar to clamping strap 100 but differs in that a retaining ring is positioned along the, adjustable length portion of clamping strap 106, between the two ends. As discussed below, the function of the retaining ring is to attach to a hook or other fixture belonging to a top tether of a child safety seat. The retaining ring can take on one of a number of shapes. For instance, in FIG. 7, the retaining ring takes the form of a keyhole 122, while in FIG. 8, the retaining ring takes on the shape of a circle. In other variations, the retaining ring may take on an oval shape or may even be an S-hook. Preferably, the retaining ring is sized so that it cannot be removed over either end of the clamping strap to ensure that it does not get lost.

FIG. 9 shows the back side of a child safety seat 130 a of the sort having a passageway for a seat belt (not seen) and a top tether 134 terminating in a connection point, such as a top tether hook 134 a. As is known to those skilled in the art, the length of the top tether is adjustable. The child safety seat 130 a also includes first and second latch straps 136, 138 provided on either side of a lower portion, and each of these is provided with a respective connection point, such as a latch strap hook 136 a, 138 a. The length of one or both of the latch straps 136, 138 may also be adjustable. In some embodiments, a child safety seat may only have the horizontal passageway and the top tether, while in other embodiments the child safety seat may only have the top tether and the two latch straps.

As seen in FIGS. 10 and 11, the clamping strap 100 c may be used to secure a child safety seat 130 a to the wheeled luggage 140. The back side of the child safety seat 130 a abuts the luggage body 142 with the top tether 134 extending over a top portion of the luggage body 142 and down along its back side 148. The clamping strap 100 c passes through the horizontal passageway 132 and encircles the luggage body 142. On the back side of the luggage body 142, the ratchet buckle 108 engages the toothed tongue 110 to tighten the strap 100 c. Meanwhile, the retaining ring (seen in FIG. 10 as having a keyhole-shape 122) connects to the top tether 134 at the top tether hook 134 a.

Generally speaking, the clamping strap 100 c must have a length sufficient to pass through the passageway 132 formed on the back side of the child safety seat 130 a and encircle the luggage body 142 of wheeled luggage 140 of a size suitable for carrying onto a commercial aircraft, so that the ratchet buckle 108 can engage the toothed tongue 110 when the strap 100 c clamps the child safety seat 130 a to the wheeled luggage 140.

A method of securing the child safety seat 130 a to the luggage body 142 of wheel luggage 140 can thus be described as follows, once the clamping strap 100 c is provided. The wheeled luggage 140 is positioned proximate to a back side of the child safety seat 130 a, which has a passageway 132. A portion of the clamping strap 100 a is passed through the passageway 132 and the entire clamping strap is brought to encircle the luggage 140. The toothed tongue 110 is mated to the ratchet buckle 108 and the retaining ring 122 is engaged to the top tether 134 which extends over a top portion of the luggage body142 and down along a back side thereof. Then, the clamping strap 100 c is tightened so as to clamp the wheeled luggage 140 against the back side of the child safety seat 130 a.

FIG. 12 shows another embodiment of a clamping strap 150. Clamping strap 150 has first and second ends 152 a, 152 b and an adjustable-length portion 154 having an adjustment buckle 156. The first and second ends 152 a, 152 b are provided with first and second retaining rings 158 a, 158 b, respectively. The first and second retaining rings 158 a, 158 b can be “D-shaped”, with the leg of the “D” passing through a loop formed on a terminal portion on each of the first and second ends 152 a, 152 b. A third retaining ring 160, which may be of the sort described above with respect to clamping strap 100 a, is provided along the adjustable-length portion 154. Preferably, the third retaining ring 160 is configured and dimensioned such that it cannot be removed over either the first and second retaining ring 158 a, 158 b, to prevent it from being lost.

The clamping strap 150, with its first, second and third retaining rings 158 a, 158 b, 160, respectively, is configured and dimensioned to form a three-point connection with the connection points 136 a, 138 a, 134 a, respectively, belonging to the two latch straps 136, 138 and the top tether 134, respectively. Thus, the clamping strap 150 has a length sufficient for the first and second retaining rings 158 a, 158 b to engage the hook members 136 a, 138 a belonging to corresponding first and second latch straps 134, 136 of a child safety seat 130 a, and the third retaining ring 160 to simultaneously engage a top tether 134 of the same child safety seat 130 a, when the strap's first, second and third retaining rings 158 a, 158 b, 160 form a three-point connection to clamp the child safety seat 130 a to a luggage body of wheeled luggage. It is understood that the clamping strap 150 needs to be able to clamp the child seat to wheeled luggage of a size suitable for carrying onto a commercial aircraft, again with the top tether extending over a top portion of the luggage body and down along a back side thereof, as previously described with respect to clamping strap 100 a.

A method of securing the child safety seat 130 a to the luggage body 142 of wheel luggage 140 can thus be described as follows. The clamping strap 150 is provided. The wheeled luggage 140 is positioned proximate to a back side of the child safety seat 130 a. The first and second retaining rings 158 a, 158 b are engaged to hook members 136 a, 138 a of respective first and second lower latch straps 136, 138 and the third retaining ring 160 is engaged to a hook member 134 a of a top tether 134 of the child safety seat, which top tether extends over a top portion of the luggage body 142 and down along a back side 148 thereof. Finally, the clamping strap is tightened by adjusting the top tether and/or the two latch straps, as appropriate, to thereby cause the first second and third retaining rings 158 a, 158 b, 160 to form a three-point connection to clamp the child safety seat 130 a to the luggage body 142.

Although the present invention has been described to a certain degree of particularity, it should be understood that various alterations and modifications could be made without departing from the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed. 

1. A kit comprising first and second child safety seat-to-wheeled luggage clamping straps, each clamping strap comprising a first end provided with a ratchet buckle, a second end provided with a toothed tongue configured to cooperate with said ratchet buckle for tightening the strap, and an adjustable-length portion between the first and second ends, the child safety seat having a back side provided with a horizontally extending passageway, and the wheeled luggage having a luggage body and a handle assembly connected to the luggage body, wherein: the first strap is capable of abutting the luggage body, with the adjustable-length portion of the first strap passing through the horizontally extending passageway and the ratchet buckle and toothed tongue engaging one another to tighten the first strap so as to clamp the wheeled luggage against the back side of the child safety seat, and the second strap is capable of abutting the handle assembly at a location vertically spaced apart from where the first strap abuts luggage body, with the adjustable-length portion of the second strap also passing through the horizontally extending passageway and the ratchet buckle and toothed tongue engaging one another to tighten the second strap so as to further clamp the wheeled luggage against the back side of the child safety seat.
 2. In combination, a child safety seat strapped to wheeled luggage by means of first and second adjustable-length clamping straps, the child safety seat having a back side provided with a horizontally extending passageway; the wheeled luggage having a luggage body and a handle assembly connected to the luggage body, each strap comprising a first end provided with a ratchet buckle, a second end provided with a toothed tongue configured to cooperate with said ratchet buckle for tightening the strap, and an adjustable-length portion between the first and second ends, the first strap abutting the luggage body, with the adjustable-length portion of the first strap passing through the horizontally extending passageway and the ratchet buckle and toothed tongue engaging one another to tighten the first strap so as to clamp the wheeled luggage against the back side of the child safety seat, the second strap abutting the handle assembly at location vertically spaced apart from where the first strap abuts luggage body, with the adjustable-length portion of the second strap also passing through the horizontally extending passageway and the ratchet buckle and toothed tongue engaging one another to tighten the second strap so as to further clamp the wheeled luggage against the back side of the child safety seat.
 3. A method of securing a child safety seat to wheeled luggage having a luggage body and a handle assembly connected to the luggage body, comprising: providing first and second clamping straps, each strap comprising a first end provided with a ratchet buckle, a second end provided with a toothed tongue configured to cooperate with said ratchet buckle for tightening the strap, and an adjustable-length portion between the first and second ends; positioning the wheeled luggage proximate to a back side of a child safety seat, the back side of the child safety seat having a passageway; passing, through the passageway, a portion of the first clamping strap and then mating the toothed tongue to the ratchet buckle with the luggage being encircled by the first clamping strap; passing, through the passageway, a portion of the second clamping strap and then mating the toothed tongue to the ratchet buckle with the luggage being encircled by the second clamping strap; tightening the first clamping strap so as to clamp the wheeled luggage against the back side of the child safety seat; and tightening the second clamping strap such that the second strap abuts the handle assembly at location vertically spaced apart from where the first clamping strap abuts luggage body, so as to clamp the wheeled luggage against the back side of the child safety seat.
 4. A child-safety-seat-to-luggage clamping strap comprising: a first end provided with a ratchet buckle; a second end provided with a toothed tongue configured to cooperate with said ratchet buckle for tightening the strap; an adjustable-length portion between the first and second ends, and a retaining ring positioned along the adjustable-length portion, wherein: the strap has a length sufficient to pass through a passageway formed on a back side of a child safety seat and encircle a luggage body of wheeled luggage of a size suitable for carrying onto a commercial aircraft with the ratchet buckle engaging the toothed tongue, when the strap clamps the child safety seat to the wheeled luggage.
 5. The strap of claim 4, wherein the retaining ring is one from the group consisting of a keyhole-shaped ring, a circular ring, an oval ring and an S-hook.
 6. In combination, a child safety seat strapped to wheeled luggage by means of an adjustable-length strap, the child safety seat having a top tether and a back side provided with a horizontally extending passageway; the wheeled luggage having a luggage body; and the strap having a first end provided with a ratchet buckle, a second end provided with a toothed tongue configured to cooperate with said ratchet buckle for tightening the strap, an adjustable-length portion between the first and second ends, and a retaining ring positioned along the adjustable-length portion, wherein: the back side of the child safety seat abuts the luggage body with the top tether extending over a top portion of the luggage body and down along a back side thereof; a section of the adjustable-length portion of the strap passes through the horizontally extending passageway and encircles the luggage body; the ratchet buckle and toothed section engage one another, thereby clamping together the child safety seat and the luggage body, and the retaining ring engages the top tether.
 7. A method of securing a child safety seat to wheeled luggage, the wheel luggage having a luggage body and a handle assembly connected to the luggage body, the method comprising: providing a clamping strap having a first end provided with a ratchet buckle, a second end provided with a toothed tongue configured to cooperate with said ratchet buckle for tightening the strap, an adjustable-length portion between the first and second ends, and a retaining ring positioned along the adjustable-length portion; positioning the wheeled luggage proximate to a back side of a child safety seat, the back side of the child safety seat having a passageway; passing, through the passageway, a portion of the clamping strap and encircling the luggage with the clamping strap; mating the toothed tongue to the ratchet buckle; engaging the retaining ring to a top tether of the child safety seat; and tightening the clamping strap so as to clamp the wheeled luggage against the back side of the child safety seat, wherein: the top tether extends over a top portion of the luggage body and down along a back side thereof.
 8. A child-safety-seat-to-luggage clamping strap comprising: a first end provided with a first retaining ring; a second end provided with a second retaining ring; an adjustable-length portion between the first and second ends, and a third retaining ring positioned along the adjustable-length portion between the first and second ends; wherein: the clamping strap has a length sufficient for the first and second retaining rings to engage hook members belonging to corresponding first and second latch straps of a child safety seat, and the third retaining ring to simultaneously engage a top tether of the same child safety seat, when the strap's first, second and third retaining rings form a three-point connection to clamp the child safety seat to a luggage body of wheeled luggage of a size suitable for carrying onto a commercial aircraft, with the top tether extending over a top portion of the luggage body and down along a back side thereof.
 9. The strap of claim 8, wherein the retaining ring is one from the group consisting of a keyhole-shaped ring, a circular ring, an oval ring and an S-hook.
 10. In combination, a child safety seat strapped to wheeled luggage, by means of an adjustable-length strap, the child safety seat having a top tether and first and second lower latch straps, each lower latch strap having a hook member; the wheeled luggage having a luggage body; and the strap having a first end provided with first retaining ring, a second end provided with a second retaining ring, an adjustable-length portion between the first and second ends, and a third retaining ring positioned along the adjustable-length portion, wherein: the back side of the child safety seat abuts the luggage body with the top tether extending over a top of the luggage body, and the first and second lower latch straps extend on either side of the luggage body; the first and second retaining rings engage the hook members of respective first and second lower latch straps, and the third retaining ring engages the top tether, whereby the first second and third retaining rings form a three-point connection to clamp the child safety seat to the luggage body.
 11. A method of securing a child safety seat to wheeled luggage, the wheeled luggage having a luggage body and a handle assembly connected to the luggage body, the method comprising: providing a clamping strap having a first end provided with first retaining ring, a second end provided with a second retaining ring, an adjustable-length portion between the first and second ends, and a third retaining ring positioned along the adjustable-length portion; positioning the wheeled luggage proximate to a back side of a child safety seat, the back side of the child safety seat having a passageway; engaging the first and second retaining rings to hook members of respective first and second lower latch straps and engaging the third retaining ring to a top tether of the child safety seat, wherein the top tether extends over a top portion of the luggage body and down along a back side thereof; and adjusting one or more of the top tether and the first and second latch straps; whereby the first second and third retaining rings form a three-point connection to clamp the child safety seat to the luggage body. 